Heartbeats
by TheGhostWriter4
Summary: Seth is dying to imprint, but he must learn that imprinting is never as easy as one would hope, especially when you imprint on someone like Isla, who has some secrets that could threaten everything. Review to let me know to write more.
1. Chapter 1

Hi, this is my first fanfic, so be gentle! I hope you like it!

Seth POV

It was a long evening, nothing exciting had happened for months, but Jake still made us continue with our strict timetable of patrolling. Tonight it was Jared, Paul and I. I loved being in wolf form, I preferred it to walking on two legs. I felt powerful, calm and at peace. I felt like all the stresses I was carrying when in human formed didn't apply to me when I was furry.

_God, when does this finish!_ I could tell it was Jared, as it was accompanied by a very detailed image of them lip locking.

_Hey! No one wants to see that keep it to yourself!_ Apparently, I wasn't the only one annoyed by his play-by-play.

_Oh come on, it's not like your secretive with your images of Rachel_, Jared agued. His is the only bad thing about walking on four legs; telepathy. This obviously meant we had no secrets, even if you tried, it was impossible to keep them. We knew everything about each other.

_Alright, shifts over. Head home and get some sleep._ Jake's commanding tone boomed in our heads.

_Later, dudes!_ Jared replied, scampering away to Kim. Kim was still living with her parents so he had to sneak into her room at night. He couldn't stay away from her for more than a few hours. It was the same with Paul and Rachel. Paul was always holding her, laughing with her, keeping her smiling. They wereliving together now, happily engaged. Luckily Jake got over his anger towards it, he's now becoming the best man.

_Don't worry Seth. You'll find her, just be patient. _Of course Jake was optimistic; he had the perfect half vampire, half human girl.

_Yeah, because there are so many of them to choose from._

_You know what I mean, man. I need her so badly, _ I whined. I wasn't scared to be desperate; I've been waiting for her for more than three years.

_I know, but she'll come. You can't rush these things. No go home! I'll see you tomorrow. _

_Yes, sir._ I phased back into a human, untying my clothes from my ankle. I wanted to be completely alone, so I took my time walking back through the woods. I was never scared of the woods at night, I remember I was terrified of them as a child, always scared something was lurking in them.

But now, the shine from the moon, the rustle of the leafs and the distant howl of my pack calmed me. There was no light from the house, Sue and Charlie must be asleep. Leah had moved out a couple of months ago. She was now living in New York with her imprint, she'd stopped phasing. She was happily married to a lawyer called Mark Bruton. He didn't know anything of the truths behind our tribe's myths, but I guess he didn't need to, considering

Leah had completely cut herself off from that part of her life. She never told us why she completely stopped, but I could tell that being a wolf reminded her of Sam and even though she's happily imprinted, it still stings.

I tried to be as quiet as I could be as I let myself and rummaged through the fridge looking for left-overs. Another good thing about being a wolf; you could eat as much as you like and stay looking fit. The house was strangely quiet without Leah; no one was screaming or arguing. I guess you could call those her signature traits.

My room was dark, only the light from the moon streaming in lit it up, but I could still see everything perfectly. Too tired to shower, I stripped to my boxers and lay in bed. No duvet was necessary, running at 108oC helped with that. I lay for hours, but sleep never came, which was odd for us wolves.

Also, for some reason, there was this strange feeling in my chest. I'd never had it before, it was a like a good heart burn. That was the best way to describe it, it was like warm coffee running down on a cold day. It soothed me and comforted me. And finally, after staying awake for hours, I drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

The next day began as uneventful as the first. Considering I'd graduated from High School there was nowhere for me to go. I'd planned on going to College when I was 15 but then I phased and suddenly was completely bound to La Push and I could never leave. In truth, I didn't want to, now would I ever. La Push, to me, will always be home.

It was a Sunday so the garage I worked at was shut. Jake was my boss, he owned the place. I guess he was my boss in every form, being my Alpha and all. Sam had retired so that he could age with Emily and raise a family. He was still interested in the pack and you could find Jake talking with him whenever he needed advise. Sam and Jake were always close, more so than an Alpha and his Beta.

I decided I would kill some time round at Sam and Emily's house, they were always welcoming. I couldn't afford money for a car so I ran there, luckily no one had phased so for once I was on my own. I reveled in the experience. I soon as I drew near I could smell the cookies Emily was baking, she was always prepared for guests. She was our pack mother, Nessie was still too young. Nessie was matured and looked like an 18 year old, but she wasn't Quileute and therefore was never completely trusted by everyone. I loved her though, and she made Jake happy which was good. You want nothing more than an angry Alpha, trust me. The feeling in my chest was back, but I thought I could try and get rid of it with those amazing cookies I could smell.

I let myself in into their small cottage. "Hello!" I bellowed.

"Hi,Seth. Haven't seen you in a while, how've you been?" Emily asked as she attempted to give me a hug, her pregnant belly getting in the way.

"Erm, yeah, I'm ok," I replied. "Nothing exciting happening,"

"Still? Don't worry, she's out there," I guess everyone knew about what was going on in my life."Well here, maybe these will help", she said handing me a full tray of cookies.

"Where's Sam?" I asked, looking around.

"Out in the woods." I gave her my best "why?" look. "He misses it. He misses being a wolf," she sighed, dropping her head. "I feel guilty, Seth. He did that for me, and I know how much it kills him. That's why he keeps up his strong connection with you guys. It's just, I never asked him to do it, I knew I couldn't, it made him so happy. God! He's so damn self sacrificing!" She was crying now as I wrapped my arms around her in the attempt to soothe her.

"It's not your fault. I would happily choose you over his wolf, and you know it. It's only been a few months, just give him time. He loves you too much. Trust me," she replied with a sniff and a nod.

The footsteps on the gravel outside gave me the confirmation that we needed to act natural. Emily must have read my signals as quickly wiped her eyes and busied herself in the kitchen, as I continued with my tray of cookies.

"Hey, I'm home!" Sam yelled.

"Hi honey," Emily replied as she received a kiss on her scars.

"Seth, how are you? How's the pack?" Emily winced at his words, but luckily Sam didn't notice.

"Fine, the pack's fine. Not a lot going on. Well, I better get going. I was only checking in. See you later."

"Come by any time, thanks for the visit," Emily smiled. I knew there were deeper feelings behind her words.

So, I left, heading off into the woods, not really knowing what to do with myself. Everyone was spending time with their imprints, except Brady and Collin who hadn't imprinted yet. They didn't mind though, they though of themselves as "players". _What?_ I said to myself as my heart suddenly started beating a mile a minute, my palms started sweating and that heartburn feeling was back. _Am I sick? Is it possible for me to be sick?_ I had no idea what was going on.

"Hello? Someone? I need your help?" I was snapped out of my soliloquy by a voice coming from the side of the road. "Someone, please, I'm stuck!" The voice was desperate, so, with nothing else to do I thought I'd be the Good Samaritan and help them out.

"Hello?" I replied, when I could see a jeep a 3 foot stuck in mud. "Someone need some help?" I was facing the back of a young woman, from what I could see she must have been in her late teens. And then slowly, as she turned around, I felt like I was having a panic attack and my breath got caught in my throat. Suddenly everything thing went hazy, except for her. Her piercing eyes bore into me and I felt like I was being physically pulled towards her. _Oh shit! Now?_

"Erm, so yeah, my car is stuck and I can't move it and my phone died," she mumbled, obviously nervous, since she stared at her shoes. _Why is she nervous? Am I scary? Oh right, I'm staring. _

"Oh, sure. No problem," luckily I had found my voice. I kept my head down; I didn't want to get lost if I looked at her again. I didn't want her to think me strange. My head was swarming with her; her brown long wavy hair, her heart shaped face, her song-like voice, and her tall slender figure, even though I towered over her.

"Thanks, I guess I wasn't looking when suddenly a deer ran past and I swerved and got my car stuck," she explained. I just nodded, making sure not to look at her and without thinking I yanked her jeep out from its stuck position in the ditch.

"Oh my god! You're so strong!" _Shit! Way to blow your cover, Seth! Normal men aren't supposed to be able to lift cars!_

"Oh, erm, yeah, thanks," I laughed, trying to brush it off as no big deal. "Mum made me eat spinach."

"Must have done," she smiled. God I loved her smile, I wanted to make her smile every day. "I'm Isla Darrell," she said shaking my hand.

"Oh, I'm Seth Clearwater," I replied, absorbing the feel of her hand in mind.

"Here, thank you for your help," she said, whilst handing me $10.

"No, I couldn't take that. I hardly did anything. Anyway, I'm a mechanic, so stuff like this is second nature to me," I joked.

"Okay, well, I should probably be going. I'm meeting my cousin and I don't want to be too late."

"Oh, right, sure," _Think, Seth. Think! Find an excuse to see her again! _"Are you staying here for a while?" She gave me a weird look, "Well, I'm mean, maybe, you should, erm, drive by the, eh, garage? Like, to make sure the car didn't suck up too much mud from the ditch," I explained, scratching my head.

"Okay, you're probably right. Well, I'm staying here for a week. I'm staying with my cousin. Actually you might know him, he's Quil Ateara?"

"You're Quil's cousin? Yeah, I know him. We're good friends," I said smiling. "Well, I should see you around then. I don't want to make sure you're late," I said. I needed to see the pack immediately. I needed to talk to Jake!

"Well, I'll see you around. Thanks for your help. See you soon, Seth," she replied whilst getting in her car. God I love the way she says my name.

**Reviews/criticisms are welcome with open arms!**


	2. Chapter 2

Seth POV

As soon as her car was out of reach there was a longing feeling in my heart, but I couldn't dwell on that, I knew I'd see her soon, at least I hoped I'd see her soon. I let the warmth flow through me and suddenly I was on all fours with voices screaming in my head.

_You did it! _Jared screamed.

_Congrats man, _Paul hoarsely said.

_What the fuck, man? _Oh, god, this was the voice I was hoping I didn't have to deal with. _My cousin! Jesus, Seth!_ It was just us two now, Paul and Jared probably though it best to leave us alone.

_I'm sorry, man. I couldn't control it! You know what it's like; you have Clair! _I explained.

_Yes, but on my cousin. On Isla! _I missed her already, I needed to see her. _Stop thinking about her!_

_Well then stop saying her name! Listen Quil, I know it's annoying that I imprinted on your cousin, but you know how it works. You know that I only want what's best for her. _

_Fine, I guess we're cool, I know you didn't mean to be a jerk._ I replied. _Just don't hurt her, or I'll hurt you!_

_Hah! Like you could! I'm such a better fighter than you! _I joked.

_You wish! I got to go, Isla's arriving. _

_Isla?_ A wolfy grin spreading over my muzzle.

_Just let her get settled, come over in a couple hours. _And with that, he was gone.

I spent the next few hours dreaming about Isla. I needed a game plan, I needed her to trust me, to like me, and in the future, to love me. I'd had some experience with women in the past, but I wasn't exactly "smooth". I showered, loving the feeling of the warm water washing away all the grime from the woods. Staring in the mirror I wandered what I'd look like old. I hadn't aged for over 5 years, but I didn't look 15. Because of my muscles and height I looked 18.

I dressed in jeans and polo, something simple but nice, I wanted to make the best impression on Isla. Hopefully, this would work. Looking at my watch, exactly 3 hours had passed since I talked with Quil, so I raced to his house.

I ran in human form; I didn't want to get my clothed too dirty. I knocked on their door, thinking it would be weird if I just barged in. Quil lived on his own, he was studying to be a doctor and Quil Sr was lending him some money. Quil always wanted to be a doctor, so the whole pack was proud of him, but with all the time he spent studying, patrolling and seeing Claire many of us were worried he was taking on too much, but he promised he was okay. And now with his cousin staying over, I was scared he'd breakdown from stress. _Isla could always stay over at my house? Stop it, Seth! Gain her trust first!_

"Hi, man," it was Quil. I was a bit nervous seeing him face to face. I didn't know how protective he was of his cousin; well he didn't mention her before so I didn't think that protective.

"Hey," I said, shaking his hand. "Where is she?" I whispered to him.

"She's in the kitchen," he said and I was immediately spinning on my heals in the direction of the kitchen, but then there was a strong grip on my hand. I turned around to see Quil giving me a look which meant "Be careful", so I nodded in return and he let me go.

"Quil, how spicy do you like your chilli con carne?" Isla asked as we entered the small kitchen, even with 3 people in there, it was a bit crowded. She spun round to look at us with her hair up in a messy bun, apron tied around and reading glasses on. She gave a little gasp when she saw me and a red tinge spread across her cheeks, she was obviously not expecting more guests from what she was wearing, but she was still extremely beautiful.

"Really spicy, please," Quil replied, plopping himself down on one of the kitchen chairs.

"Hi Isla," I said, not able to wipe stupid grin off of my face.

"Oh, hi, Seth. Erm, let me make some more chilli, you're going to stay for dinner, right?" She enquired, reaching into the cupboard.

"If that's okay, I don't want to cause any trouble," I replied, whilst reaching up and grabbing the spice she couldn't reach, from the cupboard. _Smooth, Seth._

"No, it should be fine. You'll have to wait a little longer though," she laughed whilst winking. _Oh, boy!_ I thought, whilst the wink stopped my heart. This girl was perfect, she cooks, jokes and is gorgeous. I don't know how I lived without her.

We spent the rest of the evening laughing, joking and eating. We sat for 2 hours around the dining table; we told stories and just learnt more about each other. Quil was really forgiving about the situation and didn't make it awkward. I think he was jealous, I felt bad for him. Claire was only turning 8 and he couldn't wait until the day when he could have a normal adult relationship with her.

There was a question which needed answering immediately and whilst Isla was clearing the table I pulled Seth into the cramped living room, our heads just hitting the ceiling.

"What was that for, man?" Quil said, rubbing his arm.

"Does Isla, you know, _know?"_ I asked, wiggling my eyebrows in the hope that he would get my meaning.

"No. Well, she know the legends, Quil Sr told them to all of us but she doesn't know the truth," he replied. That was not good, that meant I would have to explain everything and that could potentially mean she might get freaked out and leave me, or just never be with me.

"Don't worry man, it'll be fine," Quil comforted, my disappointed was clear, apparently.

"I think I'm going to go to bed, I'm kind of tired from the journey," Isla said, appearing in the living room. "Night guys, it was nice meeting you, Seth," a blush spreading over her, and then she left for her room.

"She likes you," Quil said, punching my arm. I couldn't trust my face, so I just smiled, staring back at the stairs.

"I should probably go, I have work early. I'll see you soon," I said, shaking his hand. I thought suddenly occurred to me and before I closed their front door I popped my head back in. "Could you tell Isla that she's welcome to come by the garage tomorrow so that we can look at her truck?"

"Sure, man" Quil laughed, and with that I left. I was proud of my plan, I had an excuse to see her, and it wasn't a creep stalkerish one either.

I ripped into my wolf form as soon as I hit the gravel, not caring about the destruction of my clothes, I was too happy to care. I could hear her in her room, and I smiled. She was truly perfect. I wanted to see her through her window, but I didn't want to be a peeping-Tom so I settled with listening to hear through my expert wolf ears.

I wanted to make sure she was okay, so I stayed for a while. I guess when you imprint you get this over bearing sense to protect your imprint, from anything; the weather, a fall, themselves, other people… _vampires_. I couldn't let anything bad happen to her. Just as I was about to leave I heard a whimpering sound, I listened carefully and realized it was someone crying. I slowly approached Isla's window and sure enough it was her. Isla was hunched over sobbing into her hands. I didn't know what to do; it felt like an anchor was pulling on my heart and at the same time I was so angry at whatever was making her upset.

I whined quietly, hoping Quil would hear me and thankfully he did.

_Seth, what's wrong? _He asked, he'd phased instantly in his room.

_Why's Isla crying? _ I asked with a hint of anger in my voice.

_She's going through some stuff at the moment, man, _he tried.

_Stuff? What stuff? _

_I don't think it's right if I tell you, it's not my place, _he explained.

_No, she's my imprint I have a right to know!_ I was full out yelling now. I dropped from the window, hopping my growls weren't loud enough for her to hear.

_Look, she'll explain it to you if she wants, but don't go asking her. It's a big deal._

_No! I need to know! I need to make it better!_ But Quil never answered, he phased back.

I stared there that whole night, I couldn't leave, not with her upset. I wanted to ask her why, but I could hear Seth's tone and I knew I shouldn't. She would tell me, she had to tell me.

As soon as the sun came up, I awoke from the little den I made nestled into the woods next to Isla's room. I peeked through her window making sure she was okay, she was asleep, peacefully. The skin around her eyes was red and there were tear marks on her cheeks and to see her like this physically hurt. I didn't want to leave her, but I needed to get to work, plus talking this out with Jake will probably help.

I arrived at the garage early, hoping I could speak with Jake in private before too many people arrived and thankfully I arrived just after him.

"I believe congratulations are in order," he said whilst patting my back.

"Thanks, but, erm; I wanted to talk to you about that," I said whilst helping him open the great garage doors, "I might need some help."

"Sure, no problem. Your brothers came to me when they imprinted and I went to Sam," no need to be embarrassed. I respected Jake a lot, he helped us as a pack and now we were so much stronger and closer, but more than that, he was a good friend.

We walked into the empty garage, surrounded by tools and the smell of oil and grease. I like the garage, spending time here relaxed me, Jake taught me all that I needed to know and I was one of the best, but he will always be the fastest with a spanner.

"So, how's Nessie?" I asked when he led me into his office on the side of the garage.

"She's good, she's graduating soon and I think I might propose soon," he added.

"Wait, what? You're going to propose?" Jake nodded from behind his desk, "Congrats man, that's amazing. Did you ask Papa Vamp?"

"Yeah, I asked this morning. He wasn't too happy about it, but I abided by all his rules, so I guess he can't say no."

"Rules?" I asked, while making myself comfortable in the terribly tacky customer seats.

"Yeah, well he had a few," I nodded as if in encouragement, "I needed to tell her about imprinting before engagement, which I did on her 4th birthday, I needed to make sure I never hurt her and I needed to make sure we would wait till our wedding night," he said, getting quieter and quieter with every word.

"What? You mean you're still a virgin?" I half yelled, half laughed.

"Yeah, I'm only ever going to do it with Nessie and we had to wait! It's not like you're running around town exactly," he joked, but with her tender hint of anger in his tone.

"Okay, okay, touché, touché," I said throwing my hands up in surrender.

"Okay, so I'm guessing you had a real reason you wanted to talk to me and not just to find out about my sex life or lack thereof," he enquired.

"Oh, yeah, well I had one major question really," I replied looking at my hands, I didn't know how to phrase this well, but Jake was patient and gave me time to think.

"Well, we all know I imprinted, and we know that the chances of us being together or just being in each other's lives forever is high," Jake nodded". So, I guess what I'm asking is, when is it the best time to tell her about everything? I know now isn't a good time as we hardly know each other, but I feel like I'm lying to her and I don't want to do that to her," I finished, twiddling my thumbs.

"I guess you can never _really _know. The thing with telling her everything isn't just about how she'll take the information, but also what she'll do with it," I looked at him in confusion. "What I mean is that telling her is about trust, so, when she feels she can trust you with some private or meaningful information, you can trust her." Jake's theory made sense, I guess all I could do was be there for her now and be patient.

"I guess you, right. What did Nessie tell you to make you know you could trust her?" I asked, completely curious.

"Hah! Like I'll tell you," He joked, with a roaring laugh.

"How come we don't know? I mean, surely you've thought about on patrol or something."

"Seth, when you are alpha you are able to control your thoughts more and more. Didn't you realize that when we're together I'm hardly thinking?" It started to make sense, all of us younger or more inexperienced wolves found it harder to filter our minds but our alphas, Sam and Jake, were more guarded with their thoughts.

"Oh, yeah, I see that now. Well thanks Jake, I better go work on that Chevy I saw out front," I said waving. When I left the office, everyone had arrived and luckily people were too busy to see me walk out and question me.

**Reviews/criticisms are welcome with open arms!**


	3. Chapter 3

Seth POV

The rest of the day continued with not much excitement; cars came in, we fixed them, then they left. It was a boring but appeasing cycle. I tended to work on my own on the cars; I listened to my iPod with my thoughts going in the background. I worked quietly but diligently. The day was pretty slow so Jake let us go early, everyone left, but I thought I'd stay there I had nothing better to do and I couldn't see Isla this soon without having a proper excuse.

I was covered in oil and grease and that was all I could smell, but I swear there was a hint of, lemon and honey drifting in from somewhere. I was right, as less than a minute later the jeep that stole my heart slowly glided into the garage.

"Oh, sorry are you closed?" Isla asked, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

"Nah, Jake just let us go early," I explained.

"You didn't?" God, she was so curious.

"No, working on cars relaxed me," I explained. I had nothing to hide from her so I told her the truth. She stared at me, building the tension and my heart tightened, "I see you managed to get here with driving into a ditch," I joked, easing the atmosphere.

"Yes, well, that was an accident. It was the deer's fault," she replied with a huff.

"Of course, it was," I teased. Then there was a silence, my heart was beating a mile and hour and I'm pretty sure hers was to. I could see her looking at me, not checking me out or anything, but just taking everything in. She wasn't making it subtle, but I didn't mind, I was hers. Only if she knew it.

"You said you wanted to have a look at my truck?" she asked, after her personal inspection.

"Yeah, this you only take a sec. You can go sit down over there to wait if you want," I said pointing to the sofa with my spanner.

"I'm fine here," I loved how she wasn't shy. I worked on her jeep slowly wanting to make sure it was extra safe and enjoying the time spent with her.

"How come you're down visiting, Quil? I never knew you were so close," I asked.

"Well, I guess I hadn't seen him in a while and it's just nice to get away from a few things, you know?" She replied with hesitation, but I couldn't work out what caused it.

"Actually I don't, I've never left La Push, nor felt the need to," honesty was my main theme with her.

"You've never left La Push? Wow, you're so grounded."

"Sorry, if that sounds weird," I replied, attempting to back pedal.

"No, it's now weird. I've never stayed in one place before. I've never really known what it's like to have a place I can call home," she whispered. I could hear the sorrow in her voice and rose from my squatting to look into her eyes. I wanted so badly to hold her in that moment, whispering words of love and kindness into her ear, hoping all her pain would go.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to babble, I just find it easy to talk to you," she quickly wiped the tears that had spilled over.

"You don't need to be sorry about that," and I was completely serious. I needed to make her forget her sadness. "Well, I've checked you Jeep and she seems good and ready to go," I said.

"Great well thank you," she replied with a smile that didn't meet her eyes. "I best go then, will you be at the bonfire tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I'll see you there?" she nodded.

"You know I said you were easy to talk to?" She asked, I was hesitant to nod, I didn't want her to cry again, I hated to see her upset, it made me feel sick. "Well, could I maybe, call you, or something?" suddenly all her braveness left her and what was left was a girl looking for someone to help her, be there for her.

"Of course," I replied quickly, giving her my phone number. She left soon after, leaving me with a feeling I began to cherish; hope.

Patrol was a bit more active later that evening; three nomads had strolled into our land. They didn't pose a threat, but we weren't going to prepare a tea party for them either. We ended up chasing through to the borders of Canada, it was a long night. As soon as I returned home, I collapsed onto my bed in a coma like state.

"Seth, wake up honey, wake up Seth," my mother said whilst stroking my hair like I was a child.

"No, "I moaned whilst rolling onto my belly.

"Seth, get up, that wasn't a request," she scolded, whilst hitting me on the head with a newspaper. That was the mother we all knew and loved.

I looked over to the clock, and the flashing lights repeat "13:43", I didn't realize I was that tired. I quickly got dressed, grabbing anything that didn't smell to bad and sprinted out of my door.

"It's all been taken care of, Jake gave you the day off because of last night," my mother said just as I was half way through the front door. "Here, eat," she told me, whilst placing two large sandwiches down in front of me.

"Fanks mum," I replied, my mouth full of food. "Where's Charlie?"

"He's gone fishing with Billy before the bonfire," she responded.

"Charlie's coming?" I asked in surprise.

"No, you know he doesn't want to know all of that stuff, but he knows Billy will be there so he wanted to get some trout beforehand," she calmly explained.

I missed these times with my mum. We always got on well, and I hardly saw her lately with all the chaos in my life. When dad died I became the man of the house and she leant on me and Leah after that. I knew I had to be strong because as tough as Leah seemed to be, she was till shaken up by it. I'm not saying I wasn't, because I was distraught when dad went, but I needed to care of the only women in my life. I couldn't lose them too.

I stayed at home until it was time to go to the bonfire; I listened to my music and made sure I looked good enough to see Isla. She always looked gorgeous and I didn't want to look like a complete scruff next to her.

When we arrived the sun had already set and the fire was grandly ablaze. Mum handed over some fried fish to Billy whilst I brought over the drinks, scanning for Isla. There she was, sat next to Emily and Quil watching the flames. She was wearing hundreds of layers and I couldn't help but laugh, all I wore was my cut-offs and a shirt. I greeted the elders first, making sure to pay my respect, but was fully aware of Isla staring at me the entire time.

"Aren't you absolutely freezing?" she asked, suddenly by my side.

"Nah, boys are much tougher than girls, we don't get cold," I teased, nudging her shoulder.

"Must be the reason," she joked. She was back to her jokey self and I was happy she wasn't sad, but still cautious of her emotions.

"Come on, let's get you warmed up," I said, steering her towards a log by the fire. She eventually eased up and leant on me, obviously aware I was warmer than the fire.

"I hardly know anything about you. Tell me something," she said, gazing at the orange and yellow streams.

"There's not a lot to tell," I said."Well, I'm twenty, my favorite band is Dashboard Confessional, my favorite film is Gladiator," I could hear her snort of laughter. "I have a sister, Leah, who's in New York and my favorite animal is a wolf." I inwardly chuckled at my own joke and I could feel other pack members giving me looks from it too.

"Hmmm…" she replied.

"Is that a good 'hmmmm' or a bad 'hmmmm'?" I asked.

"Don't worry, it's a good 'hmmm'," she nuzzled into me more, making me smile.

"What about you? Tell _me _something," I asked.

"Okay, well, I'm eighteen; don't know where I'm going in life. My favorite artist is Jose Gonzalez, my favorite film is The Wild One, I almost always talk too much, I hate lying and my favorite animal is a wolf too," she sighed.

I couldn't help but ask, "How come your favorite animal's a wolf?"

"I don't know, it just always has been. I just love how they're so beautiful and distinctive and I think its cool how there's always alpha," she responded dreamily.

"Damn straight!" Jake said in the background, low enough for only those with super hearing to hear.

"Have you ever seen a real wolf?" I asked, rubbing her arm.

"No, I've always wanted to though," I smiled to myself.

After an hour of mingling and joke telling the group was brought to a hush. "I have an announcement to make," Jake said whilst standing up. "It is probably not a surprise to many of you, but Nessie and I are engaged!" The news was followed by a ruckus of 'congratulations' from many and high pitched screams from the women. I've never seen the two of them so happy, with everyone crowding round them, hugging and patting them on the back. Especially Nessie, she was practically glowing, she was tiny against Jake, with his arm around her, but she was stunning. Practically everyone had got up to celebrate to the happy couple, except for me and Isla. I had already congratulated them when Jake told me the news, but Isla just stared at them, inquisitively.

We didn't talk a lot after that as soon the elders starting the legends of our tribe. The fire crackled, and the whole event had a magical feature as the lights bounced of our faces. Everyone here had heard the stories hundreds of times before, but we never got bored of them.

By the end of the evening everyone was exhausted and ready to head home, the stars glowed in the distance as the fire simmered to mere embers. Sue and Charlie left, I was happy to walk home; it gave me extra time with Isla.

"Do you want me to walk you home?" I asked. She nodded in a drowsy manner; she was almost dead on her feet.

My hand naturally found hers as we crossed the sand and to my surprise, she didn't pull away but accepted it with a slight smile on her face. The path to Quil's house was dark but I clearly see where we were going.

"Isn't Nessie a bit young to be marrying Jake? I mean, I don't know them well at all, but she must be about 17 and he must be like, what, twenty-something?" Isla inquired.

"Well, they've always been together, and they love each other, almost too much," I joked, but she didn't seem to find it funny. "Anyway, Nessie is really mature for her age and Jake would do anything for her, it's not weird if two people love each other that much."

She didn't ask anymore about it which I was glad about, I didn't want to make up reasons why they were together; I didn't want to lie.

"Do you have those bonfires a lot?" she asks after a comfortable silence.

"We have them at least once a week, why?"

"Just wondering," she replies, fiddling with my fingers.

"If you don't mind me asking, how come you're not very connected with our Tribe?" I asked nervously.

"I guess you can ask. Well, my mum, who was Quil's aunt, ran away with my father when she was 17. They got married and had me, but as soon as I was born my dad left. He said my mum was "damaged goods". My mum couldn't face the embarrassment of coming back here so she raised me by herself," she whispered. I could feel the pain in her voice and I couldn't help myself from drawing her into a hug.

"I'm sorry," I said whilst rubbing her back. I didn't know what else to say.

"It's fine," she sniffed. "It's not your fault. I just feel sorry for her; she shouldn't have had to go through that."

"No one should suffer on their own."

"I lied to you earlier," we'd stopped walking now and she was staring straight into my eyes. "I don't like talking about it, but I feel safe with you so I want to tell you." I waited, not wanting to push her. "The reason I'm down here is because I have nowhere else to go. My mum died in a car crash a couple weeks ago and I don't have any other family members to go to. I hadn't seen Quil for weeks before a came here, but I knew he was always nice, so I took a shot." I stroked her cheek, wiping away a single tear. "I'm glad a decided to come here though," and I was glad too.

She looked up at me expectantly and I wanted more than anything to give into her and kiss her; trying to make all her pain go away, but I knew now was not the right time. I didn't want the memory of our first kiss to be burdened with sadness. I turned my gaze from her quickly; I was more likely to give in if I was look into her eyes.

"We should probably keep going. Quil will be wondering where we are," I said gruffly. She ripped her hand from mine, ripping my heart along with it, and trudged onwards. It was obvious I hurt her feelings, she didn't hide the fact, but she didn't need a kiss to make her feel better, she was just lonely.

I followed her back to Quil's even though she repeatedly told me she was capable of doing it on her own. I knew she was capable but I wanted to spend more time with her, even if she was angry at me for rejecting her.

She didn't say bye to me as she slammed the front door closed and I could see Quil shaking his head at me from his window. I scowled at him, not wanting to be teased. I trotted off in wolf form to my den by her room and got myself comfortable; I wouldn't be leaving her tonight.

**Reviews/criticisms are welcome with open arms!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thought I'd spice it up a bit with a change of POV. Tell me what you think!**

Isla POV

_Stupid boy!_ I opened up to him completely and he rejected me! He was the one asking all the questions! _He's so pathetic! _ Why would he reject me? I knew he'd stared at me in the past and he always had a goofy grin on his face when I was with him. He seemed perfectly happy holding me at the bonfire! _Was he gay?_ Okay, no, he definitely was not gay. What did I do wrong? I'm so confused.

"Nice walk?" I could hear Quil walking up behind me in the kitchen.

"Not exactly," I offered, I hated lying.

"What happened?" He sighed, why was he so casual? Is there normally drama with Seth?

"Well, I tried to kiss him and he rejected me," I said whilst pretending to busy myself in the kitchen.

"Why?" he sounded truly shocked.

"I don't know, I answered all his stupid questions, against my better judgment, and then when I needed the comfort he looked away. It really hurt," It sounded like a wolf howled in the distance.

"Don't worry, he probably thought he was doing the honorable thing," he said whilst laughing lightly. What was the joke? I didn't understand.

I lay in my bed later that night, too many things swirling in my head to make sense of anything. I thought about how I got here, how my mother's funeral was so empty; only me and the reverend. How no one cared enough to show up. I doubt _he_ even knew she was gone. We didn't have a lot to begin with, but from her will I had enough money to start my life again. I remember panicking and breaking down, somehow I'd managed to drive from Valley City, North Dakota to La Push in one piece. It was all so hazy and I could barely remember anything. All I remembered was feeling numb for the majority of the drive and then I approached La Push I suddenly began to feel safe and calm and my heart beat faster; must have been from excitement.

The next day didn't go well, Quil was already at work when I woke up, he was so driven. I needed to figure out what to do with my life. I'd graduated high school, had complete freedom, money in the bank and yet I had no sense of direction for the future. I was tied down to nowhere, I could leave here just as easily as I'd come, I think. I had no real friends and no relationship; I didn't trust men so easily.

I decided to take a walk after lunch, to clear my head and try to figure my life out. I plugged my iPod in and shut everything out. I loved walking; I found it was the best way to think. I don't know how long I'd been walking for when I suddenly realized I was a bit lost. Looking around me I realized it was getting darker and I could see less clearly in the forest, it all looked the same now and I had no idea which way I'd come. Panicking, I kept going, hoping I'd come across something familiar sooner or later, but nothing came up. Luckily I had my phone and thought it best if I call for help, but I didn't want to bother Quil at work, I was stuck. There was only one way I could get out of that damned forest in one peace.

"Hi. I'm stuck in the woods. I need your help," I said bluntly, I was still angry at him.

"Sure, I'll come look for you in a second," I could tell Seth was smiling. _Stupid smile. _

"How?" _How could he find me?_

"Trust me; I know the woods better than you think I do. I'll find you in five minutes," and then he was gone. I stood still for seconds, in pure shock. _How could anyone be so cocky? _I hoped he wouldn't be able to find me just to prove him wrong.

True to his wood Seth appeared on time in the woods. "Told you I'd find you," he smiled, obnoxiously.

"Cocky," I mumbled under my breath.

"You're not cocky if you're right," how did he hear that? But I didn't award with a response, only demanded to be taken home. He asked me a series of questions about how I got lost, why I was walking and how long I was out for but I only replied with grunts. I was being childish, I know, but he hurt my feelings so I was planning on being nice to him anytime soon. He tried to hold my hand multiple times but at each attempt, I would snatch my hand back to my side.

I was prepared to stomp back into the house when we arrived back on the gravel without a word of thanks, but I was spun round when I was about to close the door.

"What?" I spat.

"What do you mean 'what'? You're the one being rude here. I just helped you out and you're completely rejecting everything I'm saying," he explained.

"You're being rejected? How the hell do you think I felt last night? I hate men! First you think they like you, and then you start to like them, but only to be greeted by the sudden unexplained absence! You're forced to carry on life as normal, then you trip a bit and suddenly they want to catch your fall! They hadn't even been there the whole time! And on top of that they expect you to just be able to deal with all their _baggage_! It's ridiculous!" I was yelling and panting now. He was obviously stunned as he just stared at me, trying to think of something to say. I knew my rant wasn't about him and I felt stupid and guilty to scream at him for something that wasn't his fault, he didn't even have anything to do with my confusing situation. The rant made that growing pressure subside a little, though.

"Well thank you for your help," I tried my best to smother it in sarcasm. I was about to slam the door closed when he found his tongue.

"I didn't mean to hurt your feelings," he sounded sincere. "It's just, I didn't want to, erm, kiss you just because you were, erm, vulnerable," he sounded so truthful and nervous. Suddenly interested in his reason I spun round to face him crossing my arms; his face seemed to light up.

"Gone on," I prodded.

"I do like you Isla," he said taking my hand. "And I know you like me, so I didn't want our first kiss to be based around you being upset. I want you to kiss me because you're happy, and before, I knew you were unhappy." His speech sounded so heartfelt and loving, I didn't want to like it, but I couldn't help it.

"I only just met you," I tried, finding any excuse for this insanity.

"I don't think that matters," I don't know how long we stood there, just staring at eachother, but it was long enough for Quil to suddenly arrive home and interrupt are moment. I swear I could have heard Seth _growl_ in anger.

Suddenly a little girl pushed me aside gripping Seth into a hug screaming "Uncle Seth!" _Uncle?_

"Oh, hi Claire," he replied, picking her up. She must have been about nine at the most. I gave Quil a look as he got out his care, I had no clue what was going on.

"Oh sorry, Isla. This is Claire, I look after her when her parents are away, she's going to stay for the night. You don't mind do you?" _Okay, so not really an uncle. _

"No, of course not. How come you've never mentioned her?" I asked.

"You never asked," he ended it at that and pried Claire off of Seth. "Claire, I'd like you to meet Isla. She's my cousin," he said pointing to me.

"Hi," I said with a wave, but Claire nervously hid behind Quil's leg and we all laughed. I felt a bit awkward standing there, I'd never been good with children and the fact that Claire was hiding from me made it worse. "Come on, Claire Bear, let's make some dinner!" Quil said, flinging Claire onto his back and heading in doors.

Seth, sensing my mood, gave me words of encouragement, "Don't worry, she's never good with new people." I nodded in reply.

"Has this been going on for long?" I asked motioning to Quil and Claire in the kitchen.

"Ever since Claire was four," he said smiling. We were now sitting in the snug living room next to each other and I had an overwhelming desire to link my arm through his and rest my head on his shoulder, but decided against it.

"I should probably go actually, my mum's expecting me at home," Seth sighed, looking at his watch.

"Sure, well, thanks for finding me and everything," I said, looking down at my feet, suddenly anxious.

"Don't worry about, I was happy to help," he said as I walked him to the door. Just before he was about to leave, in a movement which was all too quick for my eyes to catch, he spun round kissed me on the cheek and ran out into the rain.

I couldn't hear or see or feel anything, other than me heart ramming against my ribs and the sting from where his surprisingly warm lips met my skin. I sighed, girlishly, then wacked my hand over my mouth. _Was that a swooning sigh, Isla? What are you doing? You are getting way too over your head, snap out of it! _

In an effort to distract myself I met up with Quil and Claire in the kitchen, to find Claire standing on a stool, hovering over the stove.

"Quil, the girls nine and you're already getting her to cook for you?" I pretended to be disappointed and shook my head and crossed my arms.

"It's okay, I like to cook for my Quil," she replied in a sweet voice, looking over to Quil who was toothily grinning. It was weird, I felt like I was suddenly interrupting something between Quil and Claire, but I disregarded it as nothing and joined Quil at the table.

Claire cooked as an amazing meal of spaghetti bolognaise, I still didn't understand how she was able to cook it so fantastically, considering her age. We played twister for an hour after dinner, Claire had to beg and beg Quil but he eventually gave in. She warmed up to me throughout the evening, and but the end of it she seemed very comfortable with me and even gave me a hug before Quil put her to bed in his room, he'd be sleeping on the couch.

I got that feeling again that night, the pressure feeling, but it was stronger though. I needed some form of an outlet, like when I yelled at Seth, but I couldn't do that to him again and I promised myself I would stop crying, so, instead I wrote it all down. I needed to talk to someone and this was the easiest to do it, without actually confiding in someone. I couldn't truly confide in anyone, they wouldn't believe me, it was all too surreal. To know that I was hiding from my father because of what he was, I mean what he truly was? It sounded insane; if I told anyone they would put me into a mental asylum.

By the time I had written enough to get rid of some of the panic and pain the sun was already rising. I needed to make a decision soon, I was either going to stay here in La Push, or I was going to keep running, but I needed to do something. I couldn't just keep hovering like I was now, sooner or later he'd come and then there'd be trouble.

**Reviews/criticisms are welcome with open arms!**


	5. Chapter 5

Seth POV

Isla had been in La Push for a week now and as much as I liked spending time with her, I was desperate for things to move faster. I had only kissed her on the cheek so far and we hadn't been on a real date yet. I didn't want to push her though, because I knew she still found it hard to trust men.

Even though Isla had told me the general story of her past I knew she was holding some things back, but I hoped she would tell me when she was ready. When I would stay by her room she would keep the light on for hours and, for some strange reason, write. I had no idea what she was writing, but she was fanatic about, she wouldn't even pause to break. I didn't know if this was a hobby of hers or something, so I asked her the next day if she was into writing (I tried to make it sound as casual as possible) but her only answer was, "I guess so, I don't really do it anymore though," I had no idea what to make of it.

We'd been calling each other a lot too lately, and I was glad that it seemed she was as dependant on me as I was on her. We would stay up into the early hours of the morning just talking about anything that came into our heads. I still hadn't told her about my secret, I was waiting until she told me hers, and I think that day would be coming soon.

I called her yesterday to see whether she would want to come to dinner with me in Port Angeles, I tried to make it sound as date-like as it could be and she nervously agreed. I loved how I could make her nervous, it was the only way I could tell she liked me; her heart would pick up and she would blush.

I was picking her up in half an hour and I was still looking at two different shirts trying to figure out which one to wear. I groaned and rubbed my eyes in frustration; thankfully Charlie heard me and popped his head into my room.

"Having a little trouble there, Seth?" he asked, walking in.

"Yeah, I don't know which one to choose and I want to look my best for Isla."

"Well, I'm no expert, but, knowing how Sue dresses me I'd go for the blue one," he told me, handing me the shirt from where I laid it out on the bed. I put in on quickly and checked my final appearance in my mirror; I had to hunch a little though to see my complete attire.

"You look very handsome, son" he said patting my back.

"Thanks, Charlie," I replied, giving him a goodbye hug. Charlie had become very comfortable calling me 'son'. I didn't mind him calling me that, but I wasn't prepared to start calling him 'daddy' and sit on his knee. He was a nice guy and made my Mum happy, we all liked him. When he first moved in he gave me the whole 'I'm not trying to take the place of your father' talk and I appreciated that, he always meant well.

I arrived at Quil's house ten minutes later; Charlie had let me borrow his car. I grabbed the flowers from the back seat and quickly crossed the gravel in two long strides. I didn't have to wait long for her to answer the door and she answered it in a fluster. She looked beautiful. She was wearing a little black dress which came to just above her knees, her hair was tied up in a messy bun with strips of hair that perfectly framed her face, she wore high black boot heels and a gleaming pearl necklace that contrasted her slightly olive skin perfectly.

"Quil's at Claire's again," she said, looking at her hands, obviously trying of something to say whilst I stared.

"You look beautiful," I offered, completely ignoring her previous comment.

"Thank you, you look very handsome yourself," she smiled, finally turning her gaze to my eyes.

"Well thank you, but I can't take all of the credit, Charlie had to help me a bit with the shirt deciding," I laughed whilst taking her arm in mine and leading her to the car.

The drive to Port Angeles was quite, but with a comfortable silence. Just for her I'd bought Jose Gonzalez's album and she burst into a smile when she heard it, taking my right hand in hers.

I decided to take her to a new bistro called L'Escargot in the centre of the town; it was very popular so I was grateful to Brady who was able to get us a reservation as he worked in the back.

"We have a reservation under the name of Clearwater," I said to the snooty French greeter. The restaurant was extremely posh and the waiter obviously didn't approve of some random rednecks in his restaurant, but I don't see why he was complaining and looking down his long nose at us, we were going to pay him.

The restaurant was very large with chandeliers on the walls and red leather booths, it was covered in fancy paintings and mirrors.

"Can we afford this?" She whispered to me as we were being led to our secluded booth in the back.

"Don't worry, I have it covered," she didn't actually believe she would be paying did she?

The booth was slightly quieter than the main dining area, but you could still hear the French music coming from the speakers perfectly. The waiter handed us our menus and promised someone would be along soon to take our order. _Thank God he's not coming back; he might spit in our food!_

I was starving and ripped open the menu, but only to be greeted by all these strange words!

"Isla, do you have any idea what this says? It's all in French!" I harshly whisper in a panic, I didn't want to shout it and make a complete fool of myself.

"Erm, yeah. What do you want?" she asked, she knew French?

"I was hoping to have a large steak, actually," I told her.

"Okay, well just point to this one when the waiter comes," she instructed, pointing to her menu.

Interrupting us was a young, blonde waiter who came over and asked us what we'd like. He blatantly was a bit chuffed with himself and thought he was _the man _when he took my order of a steak and a coke. He then turned his attention to Isla and I couldn't help but start shaking, she seemed completely oblivious to the fact that he was looking straight down her dress! She replied to him in perfect French which only made him smile more and he was off.

"Sorry, I'm fluent in French, I didn't mean to embarrass you," she said. Did she think that was why I was upset? I didn't care if she was fluent, if I wasn't so angry I'd think that was cool, but I was beyond that now.

She reached across the table and took my hand, luckily that calmed me down, a lot, I couldn't think of anything worse than phasing on your first date in the middle of a posh restaurant whilst holding the hand of your imprint who knows nothing about the truth behind the legends.

We continued talking whilst we waited for her food, turned out she wasn't just bilingual but she was also fluent in Italian and Spanish, and is amazingly clever. Before her mum died she was hoping to go to an Ivy League university, but now she has no idea what she wants to do. I told her it would be amazing if she went and she probably should if she's likely to get in, but I think she could hear how upset I would be if she left in my voice, so she told me she'd think about it.

Luckily then our food arrived, I was about ready to start eating my silverware I was so hungry. The food was amazing and worth the wait, it didn't fill me up completely, but I guess nothing ever did these days.

We got the bill straight after we finished eating for two reasons; 1) because I told her I had a surprise waiting for her after dinner and she was excited to see it and 2) because that annoying waiter kept flirting and staring at Isla and I was prepared to get her as far away from him as possible.

As soon as he left the restaurant I whipped out the blind fold from my pocket and tied it around her eyes.

"What's this for?" she asked just as I was finishing the bow.

"Well, I told you it was a surprise, therefore, surprise preparations are in order," I told her. The temperature had dropped considerably as I gave her my jacket to keep her warm.

The drive to the clearing took us about twenty minutes and again we drove in silence; just listening to her favorite music with our hands entwined.

When we arrived the moon was high in the sky and it lit up the clearing perfectly, not too bright and Isla's human eyes could still see everything. Collin kept to his promise and from what I could see everything was set up perfectly. Now everything was just down to me not messing it up.

I helped Isla out the car and ignored her whiny demands to untie the blind, they did make me chuckle. I stood her so that she could see everything and in one swift motion untied the blindfold, letting it fall to the ground, and started the music.

Her gasp made me panic, but from the look on her face I knew it was a good gasp and I just waited for her to take everything in.

Collin had laid everything out faultlessly; the blanket was down over the mossy grass, the candles were lit, the music player was set up with Jose's CD inside and all was placed just underneath the break in the trees so that we could see the stars.

Slowly she edged closer to me and with a slight smirk on her face said,

"So, is this how you make all the girls fall for you on their first date?"

Lost for words I mumbled something incoherently which sounded something like, "Well, yes, I mean no, but yes I did this, but no there aren't other girls, but erm, I don't know, d-d-do you like it?"

"Yes, I love it," she laughed. "This is my favorite track," she said, pointing to the CD player and taking me out of my trance.

"Would you like to dance," I said, offering her my hand. She took it without hesitation and I pulled her into me, swaying to the beat of Heartbeats. We danced for several songs after that, never saying a word, only holding each other. We fit perfectly. I could hear her start to hum the tune to some of the songs and she had the most amazing voice, but I didn't want to say anything and ruin the moment, so, instead I just absorbed it and tried to burn into my memory.

On the last track I noticed she had lifted her head from my chest and was looking up at me with the expression I knew all too well, I promised myself I wouldn't muck it up this down. So, I dipped my head down to hers and placed a light yet loving kiss on her lips. It wasn't anything more than that, but it was what we both wanted and needed at the time. She sighed and nuzzled her head back into my chest and I rested my head on hers, holding her tighter.

Sooner than I'd hoped, the CD ended and I had to let go of her to restart it. When I turned around she had already sat herself down on the blanket and was playing with its frayed edges.

She sighed, gearing herself up for what she wanted to say, so I waited and didn't push her. "I like you Seth, a lot, almost too much for how long we've known each other and I feel like I've known you forever," she smiled, but it wasn't a happy one. _Why was she upset?_ I tried to reassure her by sitting down behind and drawing her into my chest.

"You don't have to tell me now, if you don't want to," I whispered into her hair. I wanted her to tell me with my entire soul, I knew this would be the secret that enabled me to tell her mine, but I didn't want her to tell me if it made her upset.

"No, I want to tell you, talking about it makes me feel better. But, if I tell you, you have to believe every word that comes out of my mouth, because it's true." She was looking straight into my eyes and I nodded, preparing myself for the words.

**Sorry, had to stop there. Chapter would be too long otherwise! :D**

**Reviews/criticisms are welcome with open arms!**


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